WASHINGTON - The Army is planning for the possibility of keeping the current number of soldiers in
Iraq — well over 100,000 — for four more years, the Army's top general said Saturday.

In an Associated Press interview, Gen. Peter Schoomaker said the Army is prepared for the "worst case" in terms of the required level of troops in Iraq. He said the number could be adjusted lower if called for by slowing the force rotation or by shortening tours for soldiers.

Schoomaker said commanders in Iraq and others who are in the chain of command will decide how many troops will be needed next year and beyond. His responsibility is to provide them, trained and equipped.

About 138,000 U.S. troops, including about 25,000 Marines, are now in Iraq.

"We are now into '07-'09 in our planning," Schoomaker said, having completed work on the set of combat and support units that will be rotated into Iraq over the coming year for 12-month tours of duty.

Schoomaker's comments come amid indications from Bush administration officials and commanders in Iraq that the size of the U.S. force may be scaled back next year if certain conditions are achieved.

Among those conditions: an Iraqi constitution must be drafted in coming days; it must be approved in a national referendum; and elections must be held for a new government under that charter.

Schoomaker, who spoke aboard an Army jet on the trip back to Washington from Kansas City, Mo., made no predictions about the pace of political progress in Iraq. But he said he was confident the Army could provide the current number of forces to fight the insurgency for many more years. The 2007-09 rotation he is planning would go beyond
President Bush's term in office, which ends in January 2009.

Schoomaker was in Kansas City for a dinner Friday hosted by the Military Order of the World Wars, a veterans' organization.

"We're staying 18 months to two years ahead of ourselves" in planning which active-duty and National Guard and Reserve units will be provided to meet the commanders' needs, Schoomaker said in the interview.

The main active-duty combat units that are scheduled to go to Iraq in the coming year are the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. Both did one-year tours earlier in the war.

The Army has changed the way it arranges troop rotations.

Instead of sending a full complement of replacement forces each 12-month cycle, it is stretching out the rotation over two years.

The current rotation, for 2005-07, will overlap with the 2006-08 replacements. Beyond that, the Army is piecing together the plan for the 2007-09 switch, Schoomaker said.

With the recent deployments of National Guard brigades from Georgia and Pennsylvania, the National Guard has seven combat brigades in Iraq — the most of the entire war — plus thousands of support troops.

Along with the Army Reserve and Marine Reserve, they account for about 40 percent of the total U.S. forces in Iraq. Schoomaker said that will be scaled back next year to about 25 percent as newly expanded active-duty divisions such as the 101st Airborne enter the rotation.

August has been the deadliest month of the war for the National Guard and Reserve, with at least 42 fatalities thus far. Schoomaker disputed the suggestion by some that the Guard and Reserve units are not fully prepared for the hostile environment of Iraq.

"I'm very confident that there is no difference in the preparation" of active-duty soldiers and the reservists, who normally train one weekend a month and two weeks each summer, unless they are mobilized. Once called to active duty, they go through the same training as active-duty units.

In internal surveys, some in the reserve forces have indicated to Army leaders that they think they are spending too much time in pre-deployment training, not too little, Schoomaker said.

"Consistently, what we've been (hearing) is, `We're better than you think we are, and we could do this faster,'" he said. "I can promise you that we're not taking any risk in terms of what we're doing to prepare people."

ive been trying to tell everyone, just like President Bush has said, we will be there for a long time. The base I was deployed to is completely revamping the base to include things like permanent dorms that will be completed in 06 instead of trailers that the upgraded to from tents earlier this year

ive been trying to tell everyone, just like President Bush has said, we will be there for a long time. The base I was deployed to is completely revamping the base to include things like permanent dorms that will be completed in 06 instead of trailers that the upgraded to from tents earlier this year

wow you know when they make perm. dorms everyone is gonna be there a while

yea, there might be oil on the moon owned by aliens that bush wants to steal next

Dont start that crap We are not stealing oil. That is the most uneducated jack *** statement a anti bush person can make. The oil coming out of Iraq is going on the world market. The money from that oil is controlled by the Iraqi's not us, we never touch it. They have been running their government ever since Bremmer left over a year ago when we turned control over the the Iraqi provisional government.

WE ARE THERE TILL WE ARE FINISHED

THERE IS NO TIME TABLE FOR OUR ENEMY. SO HOW CAN WE HAVE ONE

IF YOU DONT WANT ANOTHER VIETNAM YOU FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED

THE SEEDS OF DEMOCRACY TAKE YEARS TO BEAR FRUIT. OUR OWN INDEPENDENCE FROM TYRANNY TOOK YEARS.

Oh but we are, look at our low oil prices. Damn there is so much cheap oil around. Hell next thing you will be hearing is Bush wants the economy to hurt and let old people die. Oh wait Liberals have been saying that for years. MUHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAA

havent heard much from the anti-bushers about war for oil much anymore. i guess common sense screams at you if we're stealing oil, our prices would be going down instead of skyrocketing. only way oil prices can go up is if we have less of it. and besides if this was really about oil, we could just go to kuwait, declare victory in the same sentence we declare war with them, and own all their oil without having to have dealt with iraq and saddam. and a side note, the same people that are saying bush isnt doing **** about our gas price crisis are the same jerks that refuse to let us drill for oil in anwar because a few caribou live in the area. hipocrits and morons

the same people that are saying bush isnt doing **** about our gas price crisis are the same jerks that refuse to let us drill for oil in anwar because a few caribou live in the area. hipocrits and morons

yea, cuz peoplle that set their own pay at 583,000$ a year care so much about the rest of us

Who is that. Hell if you are talking about the President of the united states that is chump change.

The average pay of the CEO of any of the top 500 companies in the US as reported in Forbes is $10,600,000 or $5,300,000,000 for all 500 of them combined

So please get a clue and every president has raised their pay. Hell when clinton firstv took office the president only made 250,000 and in his defense they was serious low pay for the leader of the free world

well i hate to bring up income, but john kerry made a billion dollars just by saying 'i do.' maybe we'd all have more cheaper gas if we werent fighting over the remains of fossil fuel that john kerry's 5 mansions isnt using to heat, or his private jets to fuel. he's the richest politician of them all and yet claims to be for the little guy. how stupid does he think we are?

But really that is chump pay to entice really quallified people in the business world to leave a 10,000,000 a year jobe to be a senator so what we get is career politicians just work to the point where they get a 120,000 a year retirement.

You do live in the land of the free and I am free to suggest you watch carvel reruns or Barney and if that is a insult to you. I suggest you stop insulting the President of the United States but since that would be preventing your free speech rights I will invoke my free speech rights and suggest a proper programming guide for you

If you did not live in the land of the free you would be arrested for your insults of the President and beaten and left in jail for a year or two like they do in China

that's why i don't vote. voting just props up an unjust and circular system, that continues to screw us over. the original colonists left europe to escape absurd taxation and persecution, but it's still happening. according the the original constitution, ANY form of taxation is illegal. the founding fathers intended the country to be funded with a series of tariffs... they, at least, had the right idea. but anyone that says the US is any better than government in this area or discussion is simply blind

well, i'm sick of the government raping low and middle class citizens while the elite line their pockets. if you want to fight tyranny, start with this side of the world

Then I suggest you tell the Democratic parties elitest power brokers to stop wanting the govenrnment to raising taxes and making new laws of control over us. They try to fix stuff that does not need fixing like the billions to promote gay marriage in the courts. That monety could be used elsewere. Or the Federal governmwnent taking of states money for education and only giving a trickle back. Let the states run their business and the governemt run the national interest as the constitution was set up. We are a Republic not Federalism

Republic: A state in which the sovereign power resides in the whole body of the people, and is exercised by representatives elected by them

Federalism:Composed of states or districts which retain only a subordinate and limited sovereignty.

The Liberal elitest want a federalism and conservatives and most people want a Republic

Every damn penny I paid into Social Security Back, it is my money and it is not the goverments to tell me how much to save per paycheck only to not get it back when I need it.

A 50% cut in every senators and represenatives pay, if you can't live on 60-80 grand a year and only work when you feel like it you need serious financial help and YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED TO BE MANAGING A GOVERNEMNT.

Restrictions on Election advertising, limited to strictly debates and campaigning personally with people across the country. No TV ads no nothing. No moveon.org and no Swift Boat Veterans bull****.

^that's a good summary. but sports stars, music stars and company elites should be included in the pay cuts. no one needs to make millions or billions a year. the reason that the economy is so ****ed up is that all our money goes to those people

^that's a good summary. but sports stars, music stars and company elites should be included in the pay cuts. no one needs to make millions or billions a year. the reason that the economy is so ****ed up is that all our money goes to those people

What are you a communist !!! You want redistribution of wealth. People shoul dbe able to make what they can get any attemp to control that is out and out communism. Communism is the most unproductive and wastefull form of governing there is. You have the worst economic ideas and theories I have ever heard from anyone.

What people make does not hurt our country it is what people do woth that money that hurts our country. People who make lots of money pay more taxes and spend more money. If they did not have the money to spend no body would by yachts or hummers and they would all be out of a job.

Wealthy people spend boat loads of money and spurn our economy. You do not!!!

Every damn penny I paid into Social Security Back, it is my money and it is not the goverments to tell me how much to save per paycheck only to not get it back when I need it.

A 50% cut in every senators and represenatives pay, if you can't live on 60-80 grand a year and only work when you feel like it you need serious financial help and YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T NEED TO BE MANAGING A GOVERNEMNT.

Restrictions on Election advertising, limited to strictly debates and campaigning personally with people across the country. No TV ads no nothing. No moveon.org and no Swift Boat Veterans bull****.

A national sales tax and kiss the IRS good bye

You want to fix Social Security. I have a plan

Currently the President and the US Senate are not on the SS program so why should they fixcare about it. No if you pushed to have all federal employees on SS then they would fix it tomorrow.

As for election ads only allow them to run for 1 month before the election as the British do. The other catch is only federal money is allowed to be spent on the ads and every candidate gets the same amout of tim for 1 month

What are you a communist !!! You want redistribution of wealth. People shoul dbe able to make what they can get any attemp to control that is out and out communism. Communism is the most unproductive and wastefull form of governing there is. You have the worst economic ideas and theories I have ever heard from anyone.

What people make does not hurt our country it is what people do woth that money that hurts our country. People who make lots of money pay more taxes and spend more money. If they did not have the money to spend no body would by yachts or hummers and they would all be out of a job.

Wealthy people spend boat loads of money and spurn our economy. You do not!!!

obviously i cant, becuz i don't make millions a year. i don't want a redistribution of wealth, i want a more efficent system that benefits everyone. not just the elite. no one, and i repeat, NO ONE needs that much money

and you say communist like it's some kind of insult. the core idea of communism is sound. crazy bastards like hilter are the ones that made it bad. it's not the first or last good idea to be ruined by an egotist

and if i'm a communist as you say, does that make you a capitalist pig?

^that's a good summary. but sports stars, music stars and company elites should be included in the pay cuts. no one needs to make millions or billions a year. the reason that the economy is so ****ed up is that all our money goes to those people

I don't agree with that, I only want paycuts for elected officials.

We put them in office, we tell them how much they get paid, not they decide what they want to get paid.

obviously i cant, becuz i don't make millions a year. i don't want a redistribution of wealth, i want a more efficent system that benefits everyone. not just the elite. no one, and i repeat, NO ONE needs that much money

and you say communist like it's some kind of insult. the core idea of communism is sound. crazy bastards like hilter are the ones that made it bad. it's not the first or last good idea to be ruined by an egotist

and if i'm a communist as you say, does that make you a capitalist pig?

The will to suceed and make money is what gives us the things we love in this country.

Bill Gates would have not done what he had done had he known that there was a limit to what he would be able to make... he would have done just enough to get his money and no more. Why work for free?

You can not restrict the pay of civilians. You reward them for the work they do.

You may not like the sports starts making that much money but they have the talent to be there.

I believe in Team Salary caps and controlling how much each team can pay their players all together. This helps keep teams like the Yankees from buying a world series even though they suck this year.

The Florida Marlins bought a world series when they won. As soon as they won the world series they dumped all the players they could not afford and helped them get it.

Currently the President and the US Senate are not on the SS program so why should they fixcare about it. No if you pushed to have all federal employees on SS then they would fix it tomorrow.

As for election ads only allow them to run for 1 month before the election as the British do. The other catch is only federal money is allowed to be spent on the ads and every candidate gets the same amout of tim for 1 month

obviously i cant, becuz i don't make millions a year. i don't want a redistribution of wealth, i want a more efficent system that benefits everyone. not just the elite. no one, and i repeat, NO ONE needs that much money

and you say communist like it's some kind of insult. the core idea of communism is sound. crazy bastards like hilter are the ones that made it bad. it's not the first or last good idea to be ruined by an egotist

and if i'm a communist as you say, does that make you a capitalist pig?

Hitler was not a communist he was a facist dictator who hated Communism and saw it as a plague on europe. But so was hitler

There is no such thing as perfect communism because it is human nature to be competitive and do better. Pure ideology of communism is one working for the all is unacceptable. if we were ants it might work, but look at this, if we were perfect communist we would not own cars, we would all be exact, wear the exact cloths and think exactly the same. Where in hell is that going to happen unless we have world domination control over every single person with the threat of immediate death for any non conformist